Can recycled glass help boost skid resistance on roads?

A new trial is under way to see whether recycled glass can be used to provide safer, more skid resistant roads.

Sustainability Victoria has awarded ARRB and OmniGrip Direct $81,000 in funding for a project to see if recycled crushed glass can be blended with other aggregates to provide road surfaces with higher skid-resistance than conventional surfaces.

The hope is that using locally sourced recycled glass will reduce the amount of crushed and processed aggregate, reduce the cost, and reuse crushed glass otherwise destined for landfill to support the circular economy.

The year-long project is expected to be completed by the end of September 2022.

The ARRB/OmniGrip Direct project is one of 10 funded under the Recycling Victoria R&D Fund for Materials to boost confidence in the use of recycled materials in everyday products and increase demand.

Project Details

Title: Higher friction surfacing for road safety incorporating recycled glass

Background

OmniGrip Direct is a company which develops and applies surfaces and other technology to eliminate road black spots.

Its road surfaces have better skid-resistance properties than typical bitumen-based surfaces. These are used as safety treatments to apply to accident black spots and high-risk locations to improve grip for all road users.

OmniGrip Direct uses Australian recycled glass as well as calcined bauxite within its existing range of treatments.

Project objective

This project is looking to see if recycled crushed glass can be blended with skid-resistant aggregates and binders to provide a new recycled glass road safety surface.

The project will assess the frictional performance of a number of blends against a control asphalt surfacing and traditional calcined bauxite.

Samples will be prepared. The frictional properties assessed. They will then be put through a simulative wearing regime and then the properties reassessed to ensure they meet the performance requirements.

This project has been funded through Sustainability Victoria ($81,000).

OmniGrip Direct is making both cash and in-kind contributions and as part of the agreement ARRB is making an in-kind contribution.

This work is planned to be completed by 30/9/22.